East, West Coast govs call for marijuana rescheduling
Representing opposite ends in American politics and geography, the governors of Washington and Rhode Island have petitioned the Drug Enforcement Administration to reclassify cannabis as a Schedule II narcotic to allow states to regulate it as a medicine.
Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire, a Democrat, and her Republican-turned-independent counterpart in Rhode Island, Lincoln Chaffee, have both faced significant political static from the federal government over their states’ medical cannabis program. Last year, Gregoire was virtually threatened by the Justice Department with arrest when lawmakers in her state considered regulating the drug. That and other forms of federal pressure prompted Chaffee to abandon efforts to set up rules for controlling his state’s burgeoning cannabis dispensary industry.
Rescheduling cannabis from a Schedule I drug—a classification reserved only for the hardest narcotics, like heroin—to Schedule II would allow states to adequately regulate their programs, the governors argued in their petition. Schedule II narcotics are viewed by federal authorities as holding at least some medicinal value, whereas Schedule I drugs are considered to have no medical benefit at all.
“Patients across Rhode Island and across the United States, many of whom are in tremendous pain, stand to experience some relief,” Chaffee said in a statement to the press.
Wisconsin: The 17th Compassionate State?
Wisconsin residents might find themselves with something else to puff up about besides beer, cheese and football: A bill just introduced in the legislature would—if passed—make the state the 17th star in the union to legalize the medicinal use of marijuana.
Titled the Jacki Rickert Medical Marijuana Act after a Wisconsin medical cannabis activist, the bill by Democratic Rep. Mark Pocan would remove state criminal penalties for patients cultivating up to 12 cannabis plants and possessing up to 3 ounces of the drug for medicinal use. A state registry would be set up and qualified patients issued ID cards.
But Badger State citizens might want to hold off on asking their doctors for referrals any time soon: Even Pocan, a longtime medical cannabis proponent, agrees the bill’s chances of clearing the Republican-controlled Wisconsin Legislature are slim to none. But Pocan insists a hearing on the bill, which he’s introduced twice before in recent years, will help lawmakers gauge public support for medical cannabis and soften the ground for future legalization efforts. Some 77 percent of Americans support legalizing pot for medical use, according to a recent survey.
